Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics associated with becoming a caregiver among Mexican American (MA) elders and to examine predictors of depressive symptoms among the new caregivers 2 years later. Method: Drawn from the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE), 152 MA recent caregivers and 2,023 other MAs were compared. Residualized change regression analysis was conducted. Results: At baseline, MAs who had recently become caregivers exhibited a significantly greater number of depressive symptoms compared to those who had not. Controlling for background characteristics, physical health, social support, and baseline depressive symptoms, regression analysis revealed that 2 years later higher acculturation was related to a greater number of depressive symptoms among those who at baseline were new caregivers. Discussion: Better knowledge of the within-group differences among MA elderly caregivers, especially with respect to acculturation, may better inform interventions for this at-risk group.
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